Homeward Bound

It was with mixed feelings that I boarded one of the two vans (one flat bed and one pick-up truck) bound for Denver. With so much that needs to be done, I hate to leave with the feeling that I could have done more.  My life returns to normal and it may take months to years before many of those affected will ever have that again. For some, that may never happen.  As I analyze my feelings I don't believe I'm suffering from survivor's syndrome.  I'm not questioning why this horrible tragedy happened to someone else, or how come I was spared when someone else was not. No, its more of a re-organization of priorities. In the fast paced lives that we lead, its all about driving in the left lane.  I get up an extra hour early so I can beat the traffic into work so I can be more productive. There's nothing wrong with this approach as I'm sure my boss would attest to, its just that little time is spent really focusing on what matters most.

After seeing these courageous folks up close and personal I think about the major re-adjustments they have had to make to survive these past weeks and the weeks yet to come. One minute the skies are getting black and the tornado warning sirens are blaring.  You've been through this many times before and don't think about any impending disaster.  After all, nothing bad has ever happened before anyway. And then it hits.  The second warning is bursting forth, and one barely has time to reach covered shelter before everything is ripped away that surrounds you, leaving you vulnerable to the elements and wondering if you're next. And then the aftermath, its as terrifying as the actual tornado itself. Not knowing where your loved ones were or if they survived. Looking around you and realizing there is absolutely nothing left of the home you sought shelter in and the homes of your neighbors and family were totally obliterated as well. There's no car and all you can see in the fading twilight is miles of destruction.  Where do you sleep? Where is your wallet, your pets, your important papers? You can't call anyone because not only are the phone lines down but your phone is no longer anywhere to be found. Its now getting dark out and the rain is just beginning to let up, not that it really matters because there is no umbrella, no coat, and no shelter anywhere to be found. No lights can be seen except for some emergency vehicles and you hear through word of mouth that the hospital is gone. If you're fortunate, family or friends outside the path of destruction finds you and brings you to their home. If you're not fortunate you may be the one that survived and they did not. Questions begin to plague you such as where am I going to live? My bank is gone? I have no money, and my work is nothing but a pile of bricks. My bills are coming due but I have no way to pay for them. How am I going to feed  and clothe my children? Where am I going to go and what am I going to do?

So you see, in the scheme of things I get to leave the unpleasant things behind and they don't.  These "show me" Missourians showed me what courage, fortitude, generosity, strength, and hardship are all about. They demonstrated what its like to go to the brink of a breaking point and then pull back stronger and mightier than  
ever before.  How do I know this? Well the Joplin High School was obliterated. What remained was the sign although the letters J, L, I, and N were missing  and only the O and P remained; until someone filled in the rest of letters to read HOPE High School. That to me says it all.

Will I be back? I certainly hope so. There is much work to be done, lives to rebuild, and a multitude of ways in which I can serve those who deserve to be served. This trip challenged me to practice what I preach. To question my opinions and judgments, and to be the best person that I can be. As a servant leader and a provider of service I am able to look back on these past few days and think, they did it. A very small part of Joplin and its residents were slightly better off because of the efforts and generosity of my teammates.  Our goal was to make a difference and indeed that was done with all of the debris that was removed, the hard work hours that were donated, and the time spent to and fro. I wanted to be able to share my sense of humor--which I believe I did when we ran out of gas FOR THE THIRD TIME this trip at almost the same point we did when we left, just on the opposite side of the road, if you can believe that! The good news was that this time we had two 5 gallon gas cans filled with gas so it was just a quick refill until we pulled back into Burlington.  They say things come in threes and they certainly did on this trip.  I wanted to be there for those who wanted to share their stories, and I listened. Lastly, I wanted those we touched to know that they mattered, and they  do.
Here is a link to see a visual representation of our Joplin experience.

https://connect.regis.edu/joplin_slides/